Predicting nitrogen excretion of cattle kept under tropical and subtropical conditions using semimechanistic models.

The present study aims at evaluating whether current semimechanistic models developed for temperate cattle systems can be adopted for cattle under (sub-) tropical husbandry systems to adequately (accurately and precisely) predict total nitrogen (TN), urine nitrogen (UN), faecal nitrogen (FN) excretion and its partition into different FN fractions. Selected models were built based on the feeding recommendations for ruminants of the British (Model A), German (Model G) and French (INRA; Model I) system. Model evaluation was conducted using eight nitrogen balance studies performed in El Salvador, Kenya and Peru (n = 392 individual observations including lactating cows, heifers and steers).

Performance of Phenotypic Tests to Detect β-Lactamases in a Population of β-Lactamase Coproducing Isolates.

 This study aimed to evaluate the performance of routinely used phenotypic tests to detect β-lactamase production in isolates coproducing multiple β-lactamase types.  Commonly used phenotypic tests for the detection of extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL), AmpC β-lactamase, and carbapenemases were compared with detection and sequencing of β-lactamase genes (as the reference test) in 176 uropathogenic coproducing multiple β-lactamases from two hospitals in the Western Province of Sri Lanka.  Majority of the isolates (147/176, 83.

in soil and natural water bodies in rural Sri Lanka: A hidden threat to public health.

is the causative agent of the potentially fatal infection, melioidosis. This study provides the first evidence for the presence of in soil and water in Sri Lanka. Targeted sampling of soil and natural water sources was done between November 2019 and October 2020 over eight field visits encompassing the neighborhood of 28 culture and/or antibody-positive melioidosis patients in northwestern, western and southern Sri Lanka.

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes, Virulence Genes, and Associated Mobile Genetic Elements of Eight Multidrug-Resistant Isolated from Hospital-Acquired Urinary Tract Infections in Sri Lanka.

The study describes the first isolation of multidrug-resistant (MDR) ST16, ST131 (Esc), and subsp. steigerwaltii ST93 ( complex [ECC]) in Sri Lanka. Eight MDR strains of uropathogenic Enterobacterales isolated from hospital acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) were analyzed using genomic sequencing and comparative genomics.

Interrelationship between diseases and calving season and their impact on reproductive parameters and milk production of tropical dairy cows.

The interactions between calving season, the occurrence of retained placenta, intrauterine infections (IUI), and early mastitis, and their effects on the reproductive performance and milk yield of Holstein-Friesian cows in a tropical environment were studied using data from 3320 calvings (1948 cows) from two farms in El Salvador. Based on environmental conditions, season of calving was categorized into: quadrimester 1 (November-February), quadrimester 2 (March-June), and quadrimester 3 (July-October) where quadrimester 2 and 3 had the highest ambient temperature and relative humidity, respectively. Cows were classified into 1, 2, and 3 + parities.

Biogeography and genetic diversity of clinical isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Sri Lanka.

Background: Melioidosis is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei and the disease is endemic in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It has been confirmed as endemic in Sri Lanka. Genomic epidemiology of B.

Nonclonal Burkholderia pseudomallei Population in Melioidosis Case Cluster, Sri Lanka.

A melioidosis case cluster of 10 blood culture-positive patients occurred in eastern Sri Lanka after an extreme weather event. Four infections were caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates of sequence type 594. Whole-genome analysis showed that the isolates were genetically diverse and the case cluster was nonclonal.

An increase in p62/NBR1 levels in melioidosis patients of Sri Lanka exhibit a characteristic of potential host biomarker.

Melioidosis, caused by , in endemic areas, poses a challenge for treating the diseased populations without accurate diagnosis, and the disease-specific biomarkers linked with the infection have yet to be reported. Due to the invasive nature of the causative agent, , host innate effector mechanisms, including autophagy are known to be activated, resulting in differential expression of cellular proteins and immune markers. Identification of a disease-specific biomarker associated with infection will be helpful to facilitate rapid confirmation of melioidosis, which would enable early treatment and therapeutic success.

Health in rural Sri Lanka: A cross-sectional survey of three rural districts.

Introduction: Sri Lanka has a predominantly rural population. However, there is a dearth of research on health and socioeconomic issues in this group.

Objective: To describe basic socioeconomic characteristics and health profile in a rural population.

Positive melioidosis serology in a patient with adult onset Still's disease: a case report of a diagnostic dilemma.

Background: Autoimmune disorders are known to produce false positives in serological tests for infections. Aetiological association between infections and autoimmunity, increased susceptibility to infectious and autoimmune disorders with immune dysregulation and non-specific polyclonal expansion of B cells with autoimmunity may cause confusion in diagnosis and patient management. We report a patient with Adult Onset Still's Disease (AOSD) presenting with rising melioidosis antibody titres that caused diagnostic confusion.

Vancomycin resistant enterococcal (VRE) colonization among patients treated in intensive care units at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, and determination of genotype/s responsible for resistance.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology of VRE colonization among patients in the intensive care units (ICU) of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL).

Method: A cross sectional study was carried out on 218 patients admitted to 12 ICUs of the NHSL from January to March 2012. Rectal swabs were collected on day 0, 4, 8 and every 4th day thereafter till discharge.

Melioidosis in Sri Lanka.

Until recently, Sri Lanka was not considered a country with endemic melioidosis. However, an increasing number of cases is being reported. National surveillance for melioidosis was instituted after 2008.

Author Correction: Rapid susceptibility profiling of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Clinical, Bacteriologic, and Geographic Stratification of Melioidosis Emerges from the Sri Lankan National Surveillance Program.

Melioidosis, a potentially fatal tropical infection, is said to be underdiagnosed in low-income countries. An increase in melioidosis cases in Sri Lanka allowed us to analyze the relationship among clinical outcome, bacteriology, epidemiology, and geography in the first 108 laboratory-confirmed cases of melioidosis from a nationwide surveillance program. The additional 76 cases of laboratory-confirmed melioidosis confirmed further associations between multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and infection phenotype; ST1137/unifocal bacteremic infection (χ = 3.

Dairy cows fed on tropical legume forages: effects on milk yield, nutrients use efficiency and profitability.

Two trials with multiparous dairy cows were conducted. Experiment 1 tested the effects of increasing forage proportion in the diet (500, 600, and 700 g/kg DM) when a mixed sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and jackbean (Cannavalia ensiformis) silage was used as forage. Experiment 2 studied the substitution of sorghum silage and soybean meal by jackbean silage or fresh cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) forage in the diet.

A case report of co-infection of Melioidosis and cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

Background: Leishmaniasis and melioidosis are frequently reported from the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. However, only one case of co-infection of the two diseases has been reported to date over the world. This is a case report of a patient who had co-infection with cutaneous leishmaniasis and melioidosis and was successfully treated and recovered from the illness.

Host gene expression analysis in Sri Lankan melioidosis patients.

Background: Melioidosis is a life threatening infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei predominantly found in southeast Asia and northern Australia. Studying the host transcription profiles in response to infection is crucial for understanding disease pathogenesis and correlates of disease severity, which may help improve therapeutic intervention and survival. The aim of this study was to analyze gene expression levels of human host factors in melioidosis patients and establish useful correlation with disease biomarkers, compared to healthy individuals and patients with sepsis caused by other pathogens.

Rapid susceptibility profiling of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The expanding global distribution of multi-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae demands faster antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) to guide antibiotic treatment. Current ASTs rely on time-consuming differentiation of resistance and susceptibility after initial isolation of bacteria from a clinical specimen. Here we describe a flow cytometry workflow to determine carbapenem susceptibility from bacterial cell characteristics in an international K.

Calprotectin as a Biomarker for Melioidosis Disease Progression and Management.

Melioidosis is a neglected tropical disease that is caused by the bacterium and is underreported in many countries where the disease is endemic. A long and costly administration of antibiotics is needed to clear infections, and there is an unmet need for biomarkers to guide antibiotic treatment and increase the number of patients that complete therapy. We identified calprotectin as a lead biomarker of infections and examined correlations between this serum protein and the antibiotic treatment outcomes of patients with melioidosis.

Sri Lankan National Melioidosis Surveillance Program Uncovers a Nationwide Distribution of Invasive Melioidosis.

The epidemiologic status of melioidosis in Sri Lanka was unclear from the few previous case reports. We established laboratory support for a case definition and started a nationwide case-finding study. Suspected Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates were collated, identified by polymerase chain reaction assay, referred for Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight analysis and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and named according to the international MLST database.